How is Ursula related to Ariel in ‘The Little Mermaid?

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for The Little Mermaid

The live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid painted the film’s iconic characters in the late ’80s film in a whole new light. The film showed more of Ariel’s sisters, gave Prince Eric more emotion and character depth, and King Triton has a reason as to why he wants to keep his daughters safe.

Another returning character is Ursula, the sea witch, now played by Melissa McCarthy. She was a pretty iconic villain who used Ariel as a pawn in her grand scheme to take over Atlantica and rule the seas. But in the live-action adaptation, tiny changes were made to her character to give her a greater reason for wanting to take the crown. What were those changes and how do they relate to Ariel?

How is Ursula related to Ariel in The Little Mermaid?

In the original ’80s animated film, Ursula and Ariel had a client-like relationship. Ursula was willing to help the little mermaid become human. At the same time, this was part of the sea witch’s grand scheme in hopes of getting King Triton’s powers. While this intention was similar in the live-action adaptation, little tweaks were made to make the film a bit more interesting.

In the live-action adaptation, it was revealed that Ursula is Ariel’s aunt and the younger sister of King Triton. The sea witch was exiled from Atlantica for an undisclosed reason. However, Ariel was told by her father that she’d “stir trouble between mermaids and humans.” Ursula is mad that her brother got “everything he wanted” and she ended up with nothing. So she used her niece as a pawn to get the trident’s powers and the throne.

What makes this relationship interesting is how the deal was made between Ursula and Ariel. In the live-action adaptation, Ariel doesn’t sign a scroll. Instead, it was a contract bound by blood. And since the two are related, it means that Triton’s powers were useless when he tried to stop the sea witch.

There may be those who might not be keen to have Ursula added to this family tree, considering that she’s not a mermaid, but an octopus. But making Ursula the evil aunt and the jealous sibling of Triton makes this whole film a giant family affair where one is after power, and the other wants their family to be safe.

The Little Mermaid will be in theaters on May 26, 2023.